Claude Rains

Claude Rains Movies and TV Shows

Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man (1933), a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and, perhaps his most famous performance, Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942). Rains was born William Claude Rains in Camberwell, London on November 10, 1889. He grew up, according to his daughter, with "a very serious cockney accent and a speech impediment". His father was British stage actor Frederick Rains, and the young Rains made his stage debut at 11 in Nell of Old Drury. His acting talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, founder of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree paid for the elocution lessons Rains needed in order to succeed as an actor. Later, Rains taught at the institution, teaching John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, among others. Rains served in the First World War in the London Scottish Regiment, with fellow actors Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Herbert Marshall. Rains was involved in a gas attack that left him nearly blind in one eye for the rest of his life. However, the war did aid his social advancement and, by its end, he had risen from the rank of Private to Captain. Rains began his career in the London theatre, having a success in the title role of John Drinkwater's play Ulysses S. Grant, the follow-up to the playwright's major hit Abraham Lincoln, and traveled to Broadway in the late 1920s to act in leading roles in such plays as Shaw's The Apple Cart and in the dramatizations of The Constant Nymph, and Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth, as a Chinese farmer. Rains came relatively late to film acting and his first screen test was a failure, but his distinctive voice won him the title role in James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933) when someone accidentally overheard his screen test being played in the next room. Rains later credited director Michael Curtiz with teaching him the more understated requirements of film acting, or "what not to do in front of a camera".

Personal info

  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 11/10/1889 (134 years old)
  • Place of birth: Clapham, London, England, UK
Year
Genre
IMDB
TMDB
Available on the following streaming services in the United States
1965

Drama

History

6.5
64%
Lawrence of Arabia
IMDB 8.3
TMDB 80%
role:
Mr. Dryden
1962

Adventure

Drama

History

War & Politics

8.3
80%
The Lost World
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 57%
role:
Prof. George Edward Challenger
1960

Adventure

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.5
57%
Notorious
IMDB 7.9
TMDB 78%
role:
Alexander Sebastian
1946

Drama

Romance

Thriller

7.9
78%
Phantom of the Opera
IMDB 6.4
TMDB 63%
role:
Erique Claudin
Not available
1943

Drama

Horror

Romance

6.4
63%
Not available
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Casablanca
IMDB 8.5
TMDB 82%
role:
Captain Louis Renault
1943

Drama

Romance

8.5
82%
Now, Voyager
IMDB 7.9
TMDB 74%
role:
Dr. Jaquith
1942

Drama

Romance

7.9
74%
The Wolf Man
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 71%
role:
Sir John Talbot
1941

Drama

Horror

7.2
71%
1941

Comedy

Romance

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.6
70%
The Sea Hawk
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 73%
role:
Don José Alvarez de Cordoba
1940

Action

Adventure

History

Romance

7.6
73%
1939

Comedy

Drama

8.1
79%
1938

Action

Adventure

Romance

7.9
75%
The Invisible Man
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 75%
role:
Jack "The Invisible Man" Griffin
1933

Horror

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.6
75%

FAQs

Some movies or TV shows available in the United States starring or involving Claude Rains are, for example, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Lawrence of Arabia and The Lost World.
The streaming services with the largest selection are Amazon, Prime Video and iTunes.
The best Anystream ratings are Casablanca (8.4), Lawrence of Arabia (8.2) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (8.0).
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